I love this new series on Babyccino Kids (I hope you do too!) and every time I write up someone’s book-list I think through what would be on mine … it is SUCH a difficult task and almost impossible to narrow down to just 10 books but I’m absoutely sure (no shadow of a doubt) that Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty would be in my top ten — and so I feel like Christmas is here again as she shares with us her top ten favourites.

Andrea was raised in a small southern Illinois town, where her family ran a tiny grocery store. When she wasn’t roaming the nearby fields with her brothers and sisters, she was reading Nancy Drew mysteries up in the branches of a maple tree. Andrea now lives outside Chicago with her family. She is the author of When Giants Come to Play illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, and Iggy Peck, Architect illustrated by David Roberts. She is also the author of Doctor Ted illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre.

Here are her top ten Children’s Books ….

How the Grinch Stole Christmas – Dr. Seuss
My favorite of all the Seuss books. I read it year around. The rhyme is unbeatable and I love a villain with a heart – especially one that’s two sizes too small.

Where The Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
Shows that there is space in the universe for imagination, silliness, anger, friendship, loneliness, and love. I never really appreciated the language of this book until I started writing.

17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore – Jenny Offill
The art and the text are perfectly matched and the main character is true to herself. She makes me laugh out loud. One of my very favorite funny books ever.

Miss Spider’s Tea Party – David Kirk
I love the rhyme and the tender story. This was my favorite book to read to my kids when they were young.

Go, Dog. Go! – P.D. Eastman
This was absolutely my favorite picture book as a kid. I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent looking at that dog party in the tree and wishing I was there!

The Tale Of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
This was a staple of my childhood. I adore the illustrations and always imagined myself exploring an English garden when I read this.

The Polar Express – Chris Van Allsburg
The text is warm and lyrical and the illustrations are mysterious and full of anticipation. I love that there is nothing saccharine about this story or the illustrations. Simply beautiful.

Weslandia – Paul Fleischman
I love stories about kids who do their own thing (like Iggy Peck and Doctor Ted) and who change the world instead of being changed by it. Brilliant text by Paul Fleischman and equally brilliant illustrations by Kevin Hawkes. (Side note: Not long after I discovered Weslandia, I learned that Kevin was chosen to illustrate my first book, When Giants Come to Play. Thrilling!)

I love her list! ‘Go, Dog Go’ is definitely on my top ten list as well — I think I can recite that whole book by heart I’ve read it so many times. And now that my son is learning to read, we are enjoying this book for a whole different reason.

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